In an ongoing series, the Register will briefly profile Orange County’s startup scene, focusing on individual, pre-market or early market business concepts.
This week’s lineup includes: an app for contractors to help them with work orders and ordering parts; a video on demand platform that helps content creators make money; a

New Census data shows that nearly 1-in-5 Orange County self-employed people worked in two key real estate job categories in 2013.
One way the government tracks self-employment is through counting "non-employee" businesses paying federal income taxes -- typically a sole proprietorship -- that may or may not be that person's primary source

On a June afternoon, inside a cramped Westminster storefront, the CEO of a global entertainment company tossed around ideas with a choreographer, a music director, and a fashion designer.
The talk ranged from calligraphy to martial arts, bungee jumps to tattooed tears, whirling fans to colored lasers. Props and costumes emerged from a ba

A popular lending program of the Small Business Administration hit its fiscal year limit Thursday and was temporarily suspended, but Congress is working swiftly to reopen the funding tap and minimize negative fallout for startups and small businesses. The SBA announced Thursday afternoon that its 7(a) lending program had reached its cap o

The amount of money awarded to Orange County small businesses increased by nearly 25 percent in the third quarter of the 2015 fiscal year compared with the same time last year, data showed. The amount of loans that are both for fixed assets (think real estate) and general-purpose loans increased to local businesses in the third quarter of

Venture capitalists plowed more than $203 million into Orange County businesses in the second quarter of this year, with early-stage software and medical device companies topping the list of recipients, according to the latest quarterly MoneyTree Report on venture capital investment. The amount invested – $203,085,900 to be precise

In an ongoing series, the Register will profile in short form Orange County’s startup scene.
We’re focusing on individual, pre-market or early-market business concepts.
This week’s lineup has a new tool to treat snoring, a light-up smiley face for cars to thank other drivers on the road, a language tool for chil

In an ongoing series, the Register will profile in short form Orange County’s startup scene.
We’re focusing on individual, pre-market or early-market business concepts.
This week’s lineup includes five apps aimed at car shoppers, new parents, people seeking medical advice, people who want ultimate privacy on the

TUSTIN – If you haven’t heard of poutine, Stephen Armstrong and Robert Kelle bet you will soon. Poutine, which originated in Quebec, is french fries topped with gravy and cheese curds. And the indulgent dish is increasingly making its way from Armstrong’s and Kelle’s native Canada to California – along with s

While equity crowdfunding has become accessible to average folk, California businesses are not chomping at the bit to use it to fund their companies, a study released this week found. Of some 407 California business owners surveyed by Pepperdine University, 26 percent said they were interested in equity crowdfunding campaigns, while 74 p

By any measure, Cheryl Osborn is a success.
Founder and president of Casco Contractors, the Fountain Valley native is a rare female star in the male-dominated construction business. Her Irvine-based firm, with 55 employees, has done $400 million worth of business in 15 years and is expanding to San Diego, Los Angeles and San Jose.

When Brea-based PennySaver abruptly closed last month at the end of a seemingly normal workday, employees of the classified ad magazine were stunned.
They had received no notice that the magazine would be shuttered. Then, their final checks bounced.
The sudden closure and lost pay did not surprise former employees of othe

Mary Gardner got a phone call telling her to drive to the animal hospital. Her dog’s condition was worsening.On Oct. 18, 1999, Gardner drove to see Snow White, her 12-year-old Samoyed that had suffered a broken jaw and infections stemming from a dogfight three weeks earlier.As she sat in the treatment area of a Flor

Lisa Taylor, a former business executive who lives in Newport Beach, was experiencing the same problem that has frustrated so many other entrepreneurs who don’t have their own offices.She would go to a coffee shop to work but couldn’t find a seat. “The people who were sitting there taking up spaces were